


A Swan's Diary

by QueensKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/F, Henry's not Emma's son, Lesbian Sex, Mentions of past abuse, More tags to be added, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, mentions of past rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-10-31 11:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10898733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueensKnight/pseuds/QueensKnight
Summary: Emma Swan, a 28 year old artist moves to a small town in Maine following her friends Jenny and Sam. Having struggled to fit in her whole life, she never imagined that moving to Storybrooke and meeting a certain brunette and her son would change her life forever.Regina Mills, single mother and mayor, never imagined that welcoming three new women into her town would flip her world upside down, especially after meeting Emma Swan, the woman-child artist her son can't stop talking about.I suck at summaries...





	1. First Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first SwanQueen story so please be patient with me. There will be some OutlawQueen and some RedSwan in the beginning, but SwanQueen is definitely endgame! Also, there will be some mentions of past sexual and physical abuse, child molestation, and other sensitive subjects, trigger warnings applied at the beginning of the chapter. 
> 
> Of course, none of the Once Upon a Time characters belong to me, only the story and original characters.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, let me know what you guys think!

_April 10th, 2017_

_Dear Diary…_

_No, that’s too cliché for my taste, though if I’m already writing this, I might as well commit to it. Let’s try this again._

_Dear… whatever,_

_You’re probably wondering what this is all about and why I’m having so much trouble writing. The thing is, this is my first time writing in a diary, journal? I don’t even know what this is supposed to be anymore. I guess the easiest thing to do would be to start from the beginning, and please bare with me!_

_My name’s Emma, don’t really know my last name, but I go by Swan. Why? That was the name of the first family that adopted me… also, the first one to send me back. Did I forget to mention I’m an orphan? I know you’re probably thinking “Oh poor little orphan Emma,” but I’m over it… Mostly over it… ugh who am I kidding? I’m far from it, cause how can you get over being abandoned on the side of the road only a few hours after being born and with only a small blanket with your name, Emma, on it?_

_The point is that I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m 28 years old… Though sometimes I feel like a child, and my friends like to remind me of that pretty often. “You eat like a child Em,..” Samantha would say, or “Grow the fuck up” would come Jenny’s tough love after another one of my stupid “Oh nobody loves me, everybody leaves me” episodes!_

_I guess that’s a good segway into why I’m doing this… My therapist, Dr. Sanders, had the brilliant idea. Yes, emphasis on it being a brilliant idea, cause really? What the fuck am I supposed to write about? It’s just stupid! But whatever, moving on. Dr. Sanders suggested (demanded) I started writing on a stupid diary, about anything that came to mind… Now, when he said that I thought he was joking and started laughing at him. He laughed too but I could see he was being serious about the request so this is me trying to do grown up thing for once and follow his advice (demand)._

_So, a little bit more about me… I’m an artist… a struggling artist at that… I love painting, drawing, sculpting, playing instruments, and well, basically anything that doesn’t have to do with words because hello? I suck when trying to express myself through words, but give me a canvas or a sketchpad and I can tell you anything. It has always been like that… I didn’t have the easiest childhood (understatement of the year) and art became my escape. I never had a real family and bounced around a lot of group homes and foster families. Some good, some bad, always the same shit though, no one wanted me! But enough about depressing shit about my childhood and pointless information about my life…_

_Apparently once you start writing you can’t stop cause I didn’t even notice I had written so much, which reminds me, writing by hand sucks!!! I’m all sore now. God I feel like an old lady, I hadn’t written by hand in ages!_

_Until next time,  
Emma _

Just as Emma was putting down the pen and closing the diary, the front door opened and Jenny and Sam came in laughing and pushing each other. Emma turned to look at them, her eyes shining and her mouth turning upward on its own accord. She kept wriggling her wrist, trying to get rid of the pins and needles in her hand, when her friends finally noticed her.

“Oh hey Em sorry didn’t see you there!” came Jenny’s slightly out of breath voice. Samantha shrugging her shoulders next to her, a sheepish grin on her face.

“Yeah obviously! With all that touching and doe-eyes you’re making at each other is going to be hard!” She was laughing now, their eyes wide and mouth hanging open at being, but honestly, they weren’t really hiding anything. Sam and Jenny had been “secretly” together for the past couple of months and though Emma knew her friends were just scared, she wanted for them to be honest and just admit it.

After opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, in a perfect rendition of a fish out of water, Sam finally composed herself and with one last look at Emma, eyes narrowing and deep intake of breath, she took Jenny’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “How long have you known Em?”

“You guys know walls aren’t exactly thick here right? Besides, Jenny has always been a screamer!”

If she had a camera she would’ve taken a picture of both their faces. She stood up and went to meet her friends who hadn’t moved past the kitchen near the entrance. She hugged both of them and squeezed their hands before heading towards the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge.

“So who want’s a glass?” came Emma’s overly cheerful voice, amusement barely contained at their reaction.

Finally, Sam and Jenny moved forward and dropped the groceries on top of the counter, tension leaving their bodies at Emma’s nonchalant attitude towards their new relationship. After putting everything away and settling on pasta for dinner, they went to their bedrooms to change while Emma got started on dinner.

The pasta had been good and after serving herself a second portion, Emma was now stuffed and ready to lay down on the couch and do nothing for an hour or two. They cleaned in silence and after drying and putting away the last plate, the tension had eased back into Sam and Jenny’s bodies, both nervously sparing glances at each other and occasionally Emma.

“Alright, guys spill it, what’s going on? I already told you I’m fine with you guys, so what is it?” Said Emma while she sat down on the couch, her feet resting on top of the coffee table, slightly bouncing up and down. Seeing their faces had turned serious, no hint of their usual, playful banter, had worried her.

Jenny sat down next to her and Sam moved to the loveseat next to them, slapping her feet off the table in the process. After a couple of seconds in silence, only the sound of their breathing and the noise from the outside accompanying them, Sam managed to break silence.

“Em, I got offered a job, a really good one, it’s a Sheriff’s position”

“Oh my god Sam! That’s great, I’m happy for you...” said Emma, looking back and forth between them. Jenny was biting her lip and playing with her nails, while Sam just kept rubbing her hands together. “Ok, seriously, what is going on? Shouldn’t you be super excited?” She was losing her patience now and all these beating around the bushes was driving her insane.

“It’s not here in Boston... ” started Sam before being interrupted

“It’s in a small town in Maine, Storybrooke.” Completed Jenny, her voice getting lower, barely above a whisper by the end.

Thousand things were running through Emma’s mind at that point, mostly the ones that are always at the back of her mind, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was the story of her life, she should’ve learned by now not to get attached, people always end up leaving her in the end. She swallowed the lump that had gotten stuck in her throat, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall down.

“Stop it, please, I know what you’re thinking” said Sam, her voice breaking her out her reverie. “The reason we’re telling you now is that I haven’t accepted the job yet and Jenny hasn’t even started seeking for one, we wanted to talk to you first.”

“Yeah Em, we would like you to go with us. No matter what you think, we’re family, and we will never leave you ok?”

She didn’t know what to say, she got up from the couch and started pacing the living room, her friends giving her space to process. After knowing each other for 5 years Emma considered them family, but never dared to dream to actually put it into words, after all, that had never worked out for her.

“Wow,... uhh I mean, really? I don’t know what to say” She hated getting emotional but tears were flowing down her face, the dam finally broken, and the tightly held control over her emotions had shattered. As her friends stood up, Emma pulled them into an awkward hug, holding them tight against her. She did know what to say and judging by her friends’ smiles, they also knew her answer.

“Besides, I cannot live with this boring woman by myself Em, I need you!” Said Jenny, causing Emma to laugh and Sam to hit her in the shoulder, pouting and pretending to be upset, trying to hide a smile.

“I guess I could go with you to Storybook”

“ **Storybrooke!** ” came the dual reply, all three chuckling before settling in to discuss everything about the little town and their plans on how to move forward. They had been talking for a couple of hours before finally calling it a night and after hugs and kisses, they parted ways, the three women thinking about how everything would change in a few weeks.

 


	2. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any of the Once Upon a Time characters, only the original ones and the story. Please enjoy and review.

She had been turning in bed all night, thinking about the appointment with Dr. Sanders, earlier in the day. Emma got up from her bed, her hair tousled and her white shirt wrinkled where she had been holding it tight while in bed. With unsteady steps she headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water, her dry mouth aching for some relief. She drank the whole glass in one go, hoping to clear her mind of the memories haunting her.

She sighed one last time before heading back to her room, resigning herself to another sleepless night, the last days of April were always the same, ever since she was fifteen years old. Now that she was 28, though the nightmares weren’t as frequent, they still haunted her at times. She opened the first drawer in the nightstand next to her bed and looked for her sleeping pills, but when her eyes rested on the small white and blue notebook, she took that out instead.

She grabbed a pencil from her desk and sat back down in her bed and with a small huff of annoyance, opened the notebook to a blank page and started writing.

_April 21th, 2017_

_Hi again…_

_It’s been a couple of days since my first entry, I didn’t think I would continue writing, but once again, in my last visit to Dr. Sanders’, I was suggested to continue writing in it, even if I no longer went to therapy. No more therapy… I thought I would be happy not to see Dr. Sanders again, but I guess the old man grows on you._

_Next month would’ve been my one year anniversary of going to therapy, of doing something to change my life, to make me better. I don’t know if continuing writing this will actually help me or not, but it definitely can’t make things worse for me._

_The reason why today was my last appointment is that I’m moving.. To Storybrooke in Maine. I know it sounds like a joke but I’m being totally honest here, that’s the town’s freaking name! Probably someone’s idea of being funny or maybe they were high when they decided on that name…_

_I’m moving with Sam and Jen, we found found a beautiful house, perfect for us. Light brown, two-storey house, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, living room, dining room, and spacious kitchen. My favorite part though, is the garage, which we will turn into a studio for me. They’ve been encouraging me to rent a small space and turn it into an art gallery and since Storybrooke is a small town, it is actually something I could afford, not some impossible dream like it is here in Boston. But I don’t wanna open an art gallery, I thought about it and I would like to teach, to offer a space for children to escape, maybe even offer lessons to adults. We’ll see what happens, there’s still a lot to before I make that decision._

_Now, to the important part… and this isn’t something I would normally admit… I’m scared, scared of running away again, running from my problems like always. Being in Boston has been great, I’ve made friends, and now have a family with the girls, but I’ve also been through shit, things I prefer not to talk about. Perhaps moving to this place would be good for me, I could start to heal again._

_I don’t feel comfortable talking about myself, never have, and probably never will. I tend to ignore things and pretend everything is fine until shit hits the fan and everything blows up in my face, I’m self-destructive like that. Some habits are hard to break and keeping your emotions on a tight leash was something I had to learn the hard way, nobody wanted a crying little girl in the group home, so I dried my tears, picked myself up, and learned to keep things bottled up. Like I said, that’s hard to break. But don’t worry, I’m working on it!_  
_Hopefully things will get better in this new town, it will be a new beginning, a much needed one._

 _Until next time,_  
_Emma._

By the time she was done writing, the sun was slowly rising up. She headed towards her window, drawn to the beautiful colors, the slight shades of blue, orange, and red captivating her. She stood there for a couple of minutes before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower. Once done, she got dressed. Her favorite pair of dark washed jeans tight against her body, her white sleep muscle shirt substituted for a clean one, worn underneath her red-blue plaid shirt.

Finally ready, she went to the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs wafting towards her and pulling her in. Her friends were up and finishing making breakfast between small touches and kisses, both silently chuckling, trying and failing to contain their excitement at the prospect of completing their move.

“Good morning sunshine!” Came Jenny’s voice, breaking Emma out her reverie. She laughed at her friend’s antics, shoving away the plate that was placed under her nose before reaching for it again and settling it on the counter, grabbing a piece of bacon and almost swallowing it whole.

“Mmmhning gss.”

“Jeez Em, how about you finish before speaking uhm? Wouldn’t want you to choke and die before we move” The reply was accompanied by Sam’s not so subtle snort of laughter, barely contained behind her hand.

“Har har bitch!”

Sam finally broke down after that, no longer able to keep her laugh in. She loved they way her girlfriend and Emma played with each other, always trying to up one another. It had been like that since they met Emma over five years ago. She always looks back on that time fondly. Emma, was the awkward girl who answered their ad for a roommate, she was quiet but from the moment they met her, Jenny and Emma had just clicked and they finally ended up becoming roommates. She slowly opened up more and more and now the three of them were inseparable.

“Okay children settle down! We have a lot to do today if we want to be out of here by tomorrow morning!”

“Sure thing mom!”

“Yes, mother!”

The other two laughed while Sam scowled at them, she was only three years older than them after all. With a mischievous look, she turned towards her girlfriend who was already on the table, getting ready to eat. “You know Jen, keep messing with me and you’re not getting any for a week!”

At the threat, Jenny’s eyes widened and her mouth quickly closed, properly chastised. A whipping sound was heard at the other side of the table and they both turned to see Emma making whipping noises. Jen turned beet red while Sam just laughed and patted her on the head, happy at the effect she had on the younger woman.

“Wow, that’s just wow!! How did you manage to train her?” Came Emma’s voice, finally stopping with the sound effects in the background. She grabbed her plate and filled it with bacon and scrambled eggs before turning to Jenny and smiling wide, showing her white teeth and dimples.

“Hey, I’m not the bitch here!”

They continued to mess with each other while they ate, Sam giving up on trying to control them and simply hanging back and enjoying their banter. She looked at her watch and realized it was time to get everything ready as the movers would be coming in about half an hour.

They washed the dishes and put them away in one of the boxes, deciding on eating out for the rest of the day so the movers could take everything away. Finally the day of the move was here and though they were excited, there was also a bit of apprehension behind it. While one was afraid of not getting used to the small town life, having grown up in Boston, always enjoying the benefits of living in a big city, the other was simply scared of not being up to the standards. Emma on the other hand, was scared of history repeating itself, of not fitting in and being an outcast once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wondering what would be better, updating twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) or do one long chapter once a week? Let me now what you guys think. 
> 
> Don't forget to review.


	3. Welcome to Storybrooke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any of the Once Upon a Time Characters, only the story and any original character. 
> 
> I just want to mention that this is going to be a slow burn Swan Queen and the next couple of chapters will have RedSwan and OutlawQueen but the endgame is SwanQueen... It will just take a bit to get there! Also, I have changed a couple of things about certain characters to fit my story, starting with Henry being Regina's biological son and he's going to be older, around 16. 
> 
> Next few chapters will be the meeting between Emma and Regina and things will move a bit faster after that. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

They had been driving for a couple of hours when they finally spotted the “Welcome to Storybrooke” sign. Emma had been looking out the window for the past hour, nothing but trees and the high morning sun meeting her eyes. She turned to Sam who was driving and gave her a small smile, light shining in her eyes at the prospect of once again starting over in a new place.  

She turned to Jenny next, who was slightly snoring next to Sam, head resting against the window, completely missing the whole scenery outside. She chuckled lowly before smacking her in the shoulder, earning a small yelp and a glare in return.  

“Oh sorry Jen, there was something in your shoulder, didn’t know you were sleeping” said Emma, a sheepish grin on her face.  

“Yeah I’m sure Em!” replied Jenny while flipping off her friend, before turning to her girlfriend “How far are we honey?”

“We are almost there, of course you missed the entire trip, thank you very much!”

“Hey! It’s not my fault someone tired me out last night!”

“Wow Sam! I’m impressed!” Emma started laughing as Sam’s face reddened, the older woman gripping the wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white with the strain. She continued chuckling before meeting Jenny’s eyes, who shrugged her shoulders in return, knowing she had probably said too much and her girlfriend would probably make her pay for it later.

That’s how it was with them, where Sam was more reserved and quiet, Jenny was open and loud, the perfect balance. When Emma met them, she thought there was no way they could live in peace. Both Emma and Jenny were messy, always leaving things out, playing pranks on each other or simply being goofy with each other. Sam on the other hand, had always been the more mature one and as an ex-marine, she appreciated order and silence. However, for some weird reason, they all just clicked together and Emma found in them a family, the siblings she always wanted but never had.

Of course, when fights ensued they were epic and had it not being for Sam playing mediator between them, they would’ve probably killed each other a long time ago, especially in the beginning, when they would fight for any reason. There were also moments when Emma would feel the need to run away, something she had been doing most of her life. Luckily, she would always fight the instinct and decide to stay with her friends.

About three years after Emma had moved in with them, the longest she had ever been in one place, she had almost decided to leave. They had been out drinking when they had been approached by someone from Emma’s past, a person she had never wanted to see again, but given how unlucky she was in life, that wasn’t something she could’ve escaped. The tall man had walked up to them, offering to buy them drinks, his hazel eyes shining and smiling wide, but before any of them could answer, Emma had ran out of the pub, clutching her jacket and pulling it tighter around her.

She was soon followed by her friends who were sharing worried glances and staring at her in concern, neither knowing what to do. Sam’s training had kicked in after that and she had moved Emma away from the crowd, guiding her in some breathing exercises until she calmed down. They had gone back to the apartment in silence after that, both giving the blonde the space they knew she needed.

The conversation that had taken place after that had strengthened their friendship, it had been a turning point in Emma’s life. Though she had skipped a lot of information, she had given Sam and Jen just enough to understand that the man they met was not a subject to bring back and that was something she had been adamant about. She had talked about some of her experiences in the group homes and with some of the foster families, but she had never gone into detail about what she had been through.  

The car slowly pulled into the driveway of their new home and all three stepped out it staring in awe at the house. Being here now made everything real, they had actually moved and would be starting over in a new place. Before, Emma would’ve been scared at the prospect of starting over, not knowing what could happen, but that trepidation was not present now. Somehow, for some reason, Emma felt she had finally found her place, maybe this town wouldn’t be so bad in the end.  

“Come on, let’s get inside, we have a lot to do.” came Sam’s voice, breaking the staring contest Emma and Jenny had found themselves in.  

As soon as they made it through the threshold both Emma and Jenny started walking around the house, going room by room. While they had seen pictures taken when Sam had been there to sign everything, it was a completely different experience seeing with their own eyes. The house wasn’t grand or majestic, but it was theirs. Ok, maybe Sam had been the one to put most of the money with the help of Jenny, but she had provided whatever she could without giving away all her money and she had decided she would eventually pay them back somehow,  

It was crazy to think about their relationship sometimes, but at some point, Emma doesn’t really know when, their friendship evolved into something more, stronger, better. It was hard to think about it, the weird codependence she felt with Jenny and Sam, the need to be with them even though she’s a grown woman and the other two are in a committed relationship and are probably thinking about spending the rest of their lives together. However, Emma never felt like the third wheel when she was with them, they were much too close for that and though she had seen their relationship develop before they had even thought about it, she was happy they had finally taken that step.  

After finishing touring house, they parted ways and headed to their bedrooms, Emma’s at the end of hall, away from Sam’s and Jenny’s. She looked around her new room, it was bigger than what she was used to and her belongings would probably occupy half of it. Only a couple of boxes left by the movers stood in the middle of the bedroom. Ever since she was a little girl, she had grown accustomed to not carrying much with her, only the essentials. Perhaps she should start changing that and adding more things, not only her art.

They spent the whole day unpacking and trying to do as much as possible before exhaustion finally took over. They made lists of everything they needed to buy and they had decided to take advantage of the weekend have everything ready before Monday came and Sam and Jenny started on their new jobs at the Sheriff Station and Storybrooke High respectively. Now in the calmness of night, Emma sat in her new bed, pondering on everything her future in Storybrooke would hold and for the first time, that uncertainty of not knowing, didn’t seem so scary.  

 

 

    

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to review! Look forward to your comments!


	4. Awkward Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina finally meet... it's going to be short meeting but it will get better! Hope you enjoy!

She opened her eyes, slowly getting used to her surroundings. She looked around the room, her art instruments standing in one corner of the room, empty boxes in the other, ready to be thrown out. Her first night in the new house had been pleasantly calm and devoid of nightmares, though that might have been due to her exhaustion. Emma rolled over in her bed, slowly pushing down the covers and revealing long legs and a white muscle shirt that had ridden up during the night. She stretched as far as she could go, trying to get rid of that bit of sleep remaining before finally getting up and heading towards her bathroom for her morning routine.  

They had a lot of things to do today, a lot of shopping and final touches to complete. It was already 9:00 a.m by the time the blonde made it out of her room dressed in a pair of shorts, their dark navy blue contrasting her light flannel shirt. She walked down the stairs, still amazed at the house, and made her way to the kitchen where her friends were waiting for her, coffee already in hand and shopping list in the other.

“Morning guys, how did you sleep?” Asked the blonde, welcoming the scent of freshly made coffee and reveling in it. She grabbed a stool and sat down in the counter next to Sam who had been busy going over things for the nth time.

“We _slept_ ok Em! Never better...” Grumbled Jenny with a pout firmly in place betraying the statement. She opened her mouth to add something else but saw the look her girlfriend was giving her and immediately closed it, a genuine smile forming on her lips when she saw the nod of approval Sam subtly gave her.

“Oh so I guess you didn’t have fun last night huh? Didn’t christen any part of the bedroom?” 

“Don’t encourage her Emma!” was followed by a slap on the back of Emma’s head and a yelp from the blonde, who was slowly rubbing the spot and mockingly glaring at the other woman.

They ended up laughing at the absurdity of their conversation, neither actually wanting to divulge nor to really know the other’s business.

“So what’s on the list for today? Groceries, kitchen stuff, and the TVs?” asked Emma once she had gotten over the moment.  

“Yeah Em, Sam and I will get all the kitchen stuff, we’ll probably go to the _Ikea_ a couple of towns over and get whatever else we need.” 

“Sounds good, I’ll do the groceries and then we can meet back here and head out to lunch around 1:00, think you’ll have enough time?” 

“Yeah, we should be back by then, when is your Jeep getting here? I know the guys said they would bring it today?”  

Emma checked the clock in the wall before answering Jenny. “Well, they said it needed a few touches and they would have it ready by 11:00 so I should have enough time to go to the store afterwards.”  

“Ok, text me when you get the car, we’ll be heading out now”  

The blonde stood up and hugged her friends goodbye before going to the garage and checking out the space, thinking of where to put her instruments and where to put the drawing board and easel. They had decided to turn the garage into a small studio for Emma so she could have privacy and have everything organized instead of having everything carelessly around like in their previous apartment.  

She called the garage once again, the new, well old, Jeep wrangler she had purchased a couple of weeks ago needed a couple of things to be in optimal conditions and she didn’t want to do the drive by herself so had opted to have it taken to the house instead. She had looked at a couple of cars but when she saw the vintage, yellow, 1989 Jeep Wrangler she felt like it was calling her name. It was a bit more than she probably should’ve spent on the car but it was worth it.  

She took the time to move her instruments to the garage, slowly setting them in their new place. The drawing board now stood in the left side of the garage, against the wall, a shelf with all her pencils, colored pencils, paints, and other instruments was placed next it. In the middle of the room was her easel with a blank canvas on it, a small storage unit next to it carrying her small painting tools. On the right side, some hanging and others simply laying around were her paintings, completed and ready to be sold given the chance. She placed her sculpting tools in the middle of the room towards the back, occupying the least amount of space and giving her plenty of space to work freely. 

She looked around one last time, appreciating this new sanctuary she had available to her, she knew she would be spending a lot of time in it. She was interrupted in her appreciation when she heard a car honk from outside, soon a black tow truck was backing into the driveway, her Jeep standing tall on top of it. It was a beauty.

She made her way towards Jimmy who had just stepped out of the truck and was busy lowering the Wrangler, disconnecting it from the lift and putting away the chains and hook.  

“Hey blondie, missed me?”  

“You? Not so much, my new baby? Hell yeah!” 

“Wow you wound me Emma, I’m here being all nice to you and you’re being mean! Not cool!” 

Emma laughed and hugged her friend, thanking him for taking the time to bring the Jeep and not complaining about it. She had invited him inside for a drink but he had said he was in a hurry and needed to head back to Boston. After promising to stay in contact and not become a stranger, he got on his truck and drove away. She waved goodbye as she followed him until he was out of sight. 

She moved towards her Jeep, admiring Jimmy’s paint job. Though they had met in art school and were very close, he had to drop out to take of his father’s garage when he diagnosed with lung cancer. He grew to like it there and often offered Emma to do anything she needed, only charging for the parts. However, this had been the first time she took him on that offer and she had to say she was very pleased with the result.  

She went back to the house after a couple of minutes and after having a glass of water and grabbing her sunglasses, keys, and grocery list, she was ready to head out to the supermarket. She locked the door and jumped in the Wrangler, immediately pulling out her auxiliary jack for the new sound system she had Jimmy install and connected her iPhone to it, The Mamas & The Papas sounding in the background while she put the address for the supermarket in the GPS.  

She walked around the  _ Storybrooke SuperMarket,  _ very original name, maybe people in town weren’t known for their creative side. She checked the grocery list for the remaining items and made her way to the produce aisle. She was broken out of her study of the list when she felt another body collide against her, fresh apples falling to the ground around them. 

“Can’t you see where you’re going?” Came a deep voice, husky and low, dangerously threatening and somehow managing to distract Emma even more. 

She gulped when she realized she had been staring at the brunette in front of her, admiring the short hair and olive skin. Her brown eyes captivating her and terrifying her in equal measures. The casual dark dressing pants and blue buttoned shirt highlighted the woman’s tanned skin. “Oh my god I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” She replied once she found her voice and quickly bent to help the other woman pick up the now ruined apples.  

“Clearly, you fool!” 

The stranger separated the fallen apples and moved to pick up new ones when Emma moved to grab her arm before quickly retracting her hand at the last minute. 

“I really am sorry, I just moved here and I guess I’m still out it. I apologize!” She dropped her shoulders and her eyes were staring at the ground, finding the brunette’s feet more interesting at the moment. When she turned back to face the brunette she realized the other woman was studying her, her lips tight and frowning.  

“No, that’s… that’s ok, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have reacted like that, it was just an accident.” Her voice had lost the menacing edge to it, now dropping barely above a whisper. With a sigh, she straightened her body and turned fully towards the blonde, extending her hand. “I’m Regina, Regina Mills.” 

Taken aback by the woman’s apology and change in demeanor, Emma extended her own hand in return, meeting the softest skin and tightly shaking the brunette,  _ Regina’s  _ hand. “Emma Swan, nice to meet you, and I promise I’m not normally this clumsy… not with others anyway” she ended with a small chuckle, slowly losing the tension that had settled in her body. 

The brunette smiled at that before removing her hand and grabbing the basket filled with new and clean apples. “Well, I should be off now, my husband is waiting for me. Welcome to Storybrooke Ms. Swan.” She turned around and without waiting for a reply from the blonde, headed towards the nearest cashier.  

“You too Regina...” whispered Emma to no one as she was now standing in the middle of the aisle alone. She glanced back to where the brunette had disappeared to before turning her attention back to the list and focusing on completing the last of it so she could finally go home and meet Jenny and Sam for lunch. 

She payed for her groceries and put everything in the back of the Jeep, making her way back to the house in silence, thoughts of the stunning brunette following her all the way. She hadn’t felt anything like that in her whole life, obviously the brunette was beautiful, anyone could see that, but there was also something different in her eyes, something deeper. Whatever that was, she was hoping to find out. 


	5. Home, Sweet Home!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I didn't upload last week, I've been really sick, but thankfully I'm feeling better now. There hasn't been a diary entry for the last of couple of chapters but the next one will have a new entry. Next chapter will move on from Emma, Sam, and Jenny's friendship and new characters will be introduced. There will also be more Regina. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Emma was almost done putting all the groceries away when her friends got home, asking for help to unload the car. She put the eggs she had in her hand in the fridge before going outside to help carry things inside. Once done, Sam opened the fridge, thinking on what to to do for lunch.

“Hey guys, any special request for lunch?” She asked the others while she sorted out the vegetables in the drawer, already coming up with an idea.

“Not really babe, whatever you want is fine with me” replied Jenny with a smile on her face, staring at her girlfriedn’s backside.

“Yeah _babe,_ I’m good with anything”  

Jenny turned around and faced Emma, glaring at the blonde for mocking her.. Emma wasn’t faced though and kept grinning at her friend, making kissing noises and pointing at Sam’s backside, still on display from her place on the fridge. The older woman must have sensed something because she soon turned around and brought a stop to whatever war was about to start between the other two.

“How about you two start unpacking everything while I make us something to eat, sounds good?”  

Silently, each woman started working in the kitchen, moving around each other. Sam pulled out the new cutting board they had just purchased and moved towards the fridge again, getting the bell peppers, onions, garlic, and potatoes out and setting up to cut them into julienne strips. While she fried the potatoes, she defrosted the chicken and put it into a baking tray and added the vegetables and a bit of oregano, oil, and salt before putting them in the oven.  

Emma and Jenny were unpacking everything from the boxes, organizing everything they had just purchased for the kitchen and moving the rest to the base of the stairs so they could bring it up later. Jenny kept getting distracted every once in a while, staring at her girlfriend while she cooked, her eyes shining and a smile threatening to break out in her face. Emma would bump her then, to get her attention back to organizing and not the woman standing next to the stove. Sam on the other hand, would pretend she didn’t notice the looks her girlfriend was sending her way and added an extra sway to her hips while she moved around the kitchen.

They had put on some music while they worked, Emma singing out loud while the other two brunettes laughed at her antics and terrible singing voice. When the timer in the oven went off, Sam pulled the tray out before adding the potatoes and putting it once again in the oven for another 15 minutes. They cleared the kitchen counter and took out a trash bag so they could throw away the discarded boxes and Ikea bags. They took out the placemats, napkins, glasses, and utensils, and set them up while Sam prepared the plates.  

The smell of the roasted chicken and vegetables was strong in the kitchen, the blonde’s mouth watering at the sight of the plate being set before her. The other two moved to sit next to her with their own plates ready to start eating. Emma moaned at the first taste of the food, she really loved her friend’s cooking.  

“Sam this is so good, thank you!” exclaimed the blonde, though that affirmation was unnecessary as her moan wasn’t as quiet as she thought it was.  

“I’m glad you like it Em! Enjoy”

“Thank you, you too” replied the other two, both stuffing their mouths with the food. Sam didn’t mind though, for once she was just happy they were enjoying their food and decided not to chide them about their eating habits. They still had things to do, they needed to go buy their TVs and then set the cable and wifi as they had brought their own equipment from the previous apartment.  

“So Em, how’s your new baby? The Jeep ok?” asked Jenny, rubbing her belly, now full with all the food she just ingested.

“It’s like new, I love it! Jimmy did a good job!”  

“That’s great Em, we should probably take you car to get the TVs”  

“Yeah sounds good, let’s just take the rest of the things upstairs and then we can head out”  

While Jenny finished doing the dishes, Sam and Emma took everything upstairs, each unloading and putting everything in their respective place before meeting Jenny back downstairs.  

“You guys ready to go?” asked Emma, her keys already in one hand and sunglasses in the other.

 

* * *

 

They had finally finished everything they needed to do around the house. TVs had been installed, battles with the service providers companies had been fought and survived, and dinner was on its way. They grabbed a couple of beers and sat down in the living room while they waited for the pizza, just talking about their days. Emma’s mind kept drifting back to the woman she met at the supermarket, _Regina_ rang around in her thoughts. 

“So uhm guys, I… I met someone today at the market” said Emma in a small voice, twisting the beer in her hands, finding the ground more interesting than her friends.  

Sam and Jenny stared at each other, the older one with concerned eyes and the other’s shining with curiosity, her mouth curling into a small smile.

“Oh really? Who was she? How hot was she? Did you ask for her number?” came Jenny’s excited, voice, firing question after question. She was bouncing in her seat like a small child waiting to open his christmas presents. 

“Let her breath Jen, you’re going to give her an aneurism!” chided Sam who had noted how Emma had gotten more anxious with every seemingly unimportant question Jenny had asked. At this, the younger brunette looked down, guilty for her impulsive behavior. Her brown eyes reflected her apologies as her eyes met the blonde’s green ones.

“Sorry Em!”  

“It’s ok Jen! So…. She’s beautiful, older, but breathtakingly beautiful. Brunette, a couple of inches shorter than me, with the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen, a deep brown… there was something about them, I don’t know…” She trailed off, lost in thought. She was unable to put into words what she had seen and what had pulled her in when she met the older woman.  

Their friends were used to Emma not finishing her ideas, always trailing off and losing herself in her mind. They understood her better than anyone else ever had and they knew she would open up when she found the words, she would tell them more when she was ready, and so, they didn’t push for information on the mystery woman.

“That’s good Em, I’m glad you met someone new, maybe you’ll see her again soon.” Sam encouraged, always knowing what to say to comfort Emma and give her that bit of hope that always seemed to escape her otherwise.  

“She’s married though… to a guy…. But, it doesn’t matter, she’s out of my league anyway!” Her shoulders slumped and the ground became interesting once again, her beer long ago forgotten on the table, not giving her fidgeting hands something to hold on to.

In an uncharacteristic move, Jenny dropped to her knees in front of Emma and with a finger under the blonde’s chin and a slight pressure, she forced the other to meet her eyes. In a “Listen to me Em and listen to me very carefully because I’m only saying this once…” she waited for the small nod from the blonde before proceeding “... you are amazing ok? You’re smart, kind, generous, funny as hell, beautiful, really beautiful, and you’re selfless to a fault. Yes, you’re a bit rough around the edges, but you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and anyone would be lucky to have you. You’ll find the one someday ok?”  

Jenny offered a small smile when she was done, knowing her friend needed to process what she had just said. She stood up, ready to leave when she was almost dropped back to ground when the blonde jumped into her arms and hugged her tighter than she ever had before. She felt the tears staining her shirt before she heard the small sobs escaping her friend. She hugged her just as tight while rubbing circles in her back.

She met Sam’s eyes over Emma’s shoulder and smiled. Her girlfriend had been waiting for a silly comment or something to break the tension that had settled in the room, but when she heard Jenny’s words, she smiled and couldn’t help but be proud of her girlfriend for what she had done for the blonde. It wasn’t often that Emma needed such reassurances, but when she did, it was usually Sam who did it.  

As roles had apparently been reversed, Sam winked at Jenny before offering a small cough and saying “Uhm hun… Is this your way of confessing you’re secretly in love with Emma? Cause that’s not cool!”

Her words had the desired effect and the other two broke the embrace, both laughing and making faces. Emma swiped the few tears running down her face before meeting Sam’s eyes and chuckling. “No thank you, you can have her!”

“Hey! Hey! You wish you could have me…” Jenny said pointing at the blonde before pointing at Sam and continuing “...and you’re lucky to have me, so shut up!”

Another laughing fit ensued before they were interrupted by the doorbell. Sam was clutching her stomach and breathing hard by the time she opened the door and payed for the pizza. When she returned, the others had already placed the plates in front of the TV and were in the middle of fight about which movie to play. All the heaviness had been swept from the room and the previous conversation had been left alone but not forgotten by any of the women, especially Emma who had a new appreciation for her friend, her _sister._ She let Jenny choose the movie in the end, her way of saying thank you without acknowledging the words spoken by her friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to review! ;-)


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